


You Deserve Better, Sweetheart

by Substiel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adorable Castiel (Supernatural), Angel/Demon Relationship, Board Games, Crazy Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester Not Being an Asshole, Dean Winchester Takes Care of Castiel, Dean Winchester is Protective of Castiel, Demon Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Institutions, Panic Attacks, Past Torture, Pudding, Vulnerable Castiel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-12 23:38:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18456977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Substiel/pseuds/Substiel
Summary: After Castiel takes Meg’s tortuous memories away it’s up to Dean to look after him in a mental institution.





	You Deserve Better, Sweetheart

**Author's Note:**

> Link to art that made me write this piece. https://twitter.com/miceoao/status/1115690089856659456?s=21
> 
> It’s amazing, and I love it so much. ;-;

The building was new and many vehicles were parked around it, Dean had to make sure he was at the right address before walking through the double doors. They shut behind him silently and he was greeted with the stench of death and craziness. He scrunched up his nose in disgust and stuffed his balled up fists into the pockets of his leather jacket.

He observed the empty room and deserted front desk. He was about to turn and leave when his phone buzzed. He stayed in his spot as he grabbed his phone from the back pocket of his denim jeans to check the notification that flashed across the screen. It was a message from the angel Castiel with no words, just the emoji of a bee. It was simple and  _ shouldn’t  _ mean anything but Dean did like Castiel. He was better than those hunter brothers that called him in for a favor...whatever it is he just hoped it was quick.

They should probably thank Castiel for convincing Dean to climb the stairs and enter the hallway that led to the group. Because of that  _ stupid  _ bee emoji. In all honesty, they hadn’t talked in weeks. Mostly because the brothers didn’t like how attached he was to the angel and the way he hung around. It raised a lot of red flags around the hunter community as if Dean  _ cared.  _ He didn’t but he did miss Castiel.

His heavy combat boots felt deafening in the quiet hallways. The hallways were  _ too  _ quiet. What the hell did the hunters do this time? Dean was sure mental institutions shouldn’t be this quiet...not with all the crazies in one place. Maybe he should be glad he hasn’t been jumped by security guards or the patients. He would easily hold them off but he didn’t want to waste his energy on them.

When Dean finally reached towards the end of the hallway he could hear the commotion coming from the other end of the door. The place where all the crazies were kept at. He turned the locked knob before breaking it off and pushing the door open. He tossed the knob behind him as he entered another hallway. The psychiatric nurses and psychiatrists were all in one place to fight off the escaped patients. Dean easily dodged and walked through them until he was in front of the right door. The only one that was closed. When he turned the knob this time the door opened easily and he entered the room.

Dean was greeted by both Meg and Adam who didn’t look all too happy to see the demon. He merely grinned to fire them up and walked further into the room with swagger. He was about to ask something when he saw the angel in the corner of his eye. He glanced towards Castiel who was huddled in a corner with the phone clutched in his hand. He was rocking back and forth and humming a tune to himself.

“I gotta say fellas, you’ve been in a lot of trouble but dragging the angel with you?” Dean whistled and shook his head. “What a low blow.”

Adam glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest. “He saved Meg. Took the memories of Lucifer out of his head. He offered.” He replied dryly.

Dean raised his eyebrows at that and huffed. “Right. He  _ offered.  _ What are you going to do in return for him?”

“He asked for you, so that’s why we called. I don’t know why for.” Adam narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “But, I think it’ll be fine leaving him in your care. Meg and I still have work to do.”

“You’re leaving him in my care? A  _ demon?  _ You must’ve hit your head.” Dean snorted. His laugh was cut short when he pieced things together. Every time he visited them, well Castiel screw the others, they always dismissed the angel as an object. A tool. Right, Adam and Meg didn’t care about him. They only cared about themselves and their small yet disabled family. Dean shouldn’t be surprised. The best he could do was stay and take care of the angel since Castiel was in no state in taking care of himself. Damn hunters. Saying they’re doing good in the world yet throw everyone but their blood related family out.

“We don’t have time to look over him. I gladly would’ve.” Meg smirked and glanced over at Castiel.  _ More like take advantage of him,  _ Dean thought. “Look, I appreciate what he did for me but there’s a bigger problem here. The leviathans, remember?” She continued.

“Yeah, I do remember. Killed a lot of them recently.” Dean smirked. Fuck yeah he was proud. He gave himself a mental pat in the back. “Ugly little things.”

“Right. That’s why we have to go. We can’t stay any longer. The distraction won’t last.” Meg walked over to the door and looked through the glass rectangular window.

“What are you jackasses waiting for then? Go before I punch one of you.”

Adam glared at Dean one more time before following Meg out the door. Once they were gone Dean was able to breathe in more easily. He didn’t even need to breathe but he felt suffocated with them in the room. Now he had to deal with the angel in the room who didn’t move from his spot. This was going to be an interesting day for him.

Dean walked over to Castiel and crouched beside him. “Hey, Castiel,” he greeted gently. “Can I all you Cas?”

Cas lifted his head from his lap and gave Dean a soft smile. “Hello Dean. Yes, you can call me Cas. I quite like that nickname. I heard friends give each other nicknames. Are you my friend, Dean?” He looked at him with so much hope in his eyes Dean couldn’t deny him if he wanted to.

“Yeah, Cas. We’re friends.” The corner of Dean’s lips twitch.

Cas tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. “I can’t think of a proper nickname for you.” He nibbled on his bottom lip and frowned. “I’m sorry I can’t think of a good one. One that fits you perfectly.”

“Don’t worry about it. I like Dean just fine. You’re like the only person who calls me that anyway. The others call me the Knight of Hell.” Dean shrugged.

Cas smiled excitedly. “Then that’s my nickname for you! Yay, friends.”

“Yeah, friends,” Dean murmured almost inaudibly. He frowned as he observed Cas; the once powerful and badass angel was now fragile and broken. He didn’t want to think about the toll that was yet to come when Cas can’t take anymore of the torture. Stupid angel who cares about humanity a little too much. A good heart like his shouldn’t be treated this way.

“Come on, let’s get you on the bed.” Dean helped Cas up to his feet and led him to the comfortable looking bed. “Here.” He handed him the paper and crayons. “Why don’t you draw me something. Draw whatever is in your mind.”

“Ooh!” Cas set the phone down to grab the paper and crayons from Dean. He placed them flat on the table and used the black crayon for the outline of his drawing. He stuck his tongue out as he concentrated on the paper, the look of pure determination made Dean smile.

This new version of Cas was making him a sap, and he made a face for his behavior but he couldn’t stop it. For instance, Cas didn’t feel threatened from his appearance and actually spoke words directly at  _ him.  _ Yeah, Cas was a badass warrior but he was also kind. For once, Dean wanted something good in his life and if that meant taking care of a messed up angel then so be it. Nobody is going to stop him from doing it.

Cas’ face scrunched up in pain and the crayon broke in his grasp. He used the broken piece to rapidly finish his drawing as his breathing started to quicken. “He’s in my head. He’s in my head.” He repeated quietly. He continued to draw even when Dean grabbed the paper from him. The drawing on the table was a replica of the drawing on the paper. A man with a scary face and wings. Dean could only guess it was Lucifer.

_ Shit, how am I supposed to calm down an angel? _ Dean thought to himself. He didn’t even know how to confront anyone. He lost his touch when he became a demon and didn’t bother to relearn. Not that he needed it, but he needed it now before Cas blows a fuse.

“Hold still, Cas” Dean said roughly as he held Cas’ arms to his side. The angel struggled against him and even headbutted him by accident. Dean wrapped his arms around him and placed his hand on Cas’ forehead to transfer some of his memories to Dean. There were flashes of the torture Meg had gone through but his face was replaced with Dean’s. The demon tried to will away the memories to the back of his brain before  _ he  _ got a panic attack.

Cas felt limp in his grasp and Dean untangled himself from the angel. Cas slumped against the bed and stared up at the ceiling with his hollow eyes. If he couldn’t handle all the memories then it was only fair when Dean offered to share the burden with him because at least he can take them. 40 years in Hell with nothing but torture really paid off this time. What a depressing thought to have.

“He’s gone. Where did he go?” Cas asked. He looked around the room and his eyes widened in horror. “I let him out! Oh no! I’m so stupid and useless! I can’t even do one thing!” He cried.

“Hey, don’t say that.” Dean said awkwardly and cleared his throat. “You’re none of that.” He reached out and patted Cas’ leg. “He’s just in your head. Lucifer is back in the cage.”

Cas flicked his gaze over at Dean and stared at him with his watery blue eyes. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Dean held out his pinky finger and wiggled it. “Pinky promise,” He joked.

Cas sat up and intertwined their pinkies together. He stared at them with wonder in his eyes. “Pinky promise,” he repeated and nodded in agreement.

For the rest of the day, they talked to each other in the comfort of Cas’ room. Thankfully nobody came by to check on Cas’ state and medication.

 

\-     -     -     -     -

 

Dean had to go through the horror of a job interview to stay at the mental institution. He had to adjust his resume and memorize some lines because a demon having torture as a skill wasn’t very acceptable. The interview aside - he got the job obviously - he was just glad to be left alone with Cas. He followed him everywhere and made some few adjustments so he would visit particular places. His favorite was the outside where he would watch the bees.

Sometimes the bees would land on Cas’ hands and Dean glared daggers at the small insects while he listened to Cas’ explanation of  _ Dean, they’re dying in an alarming rate!  _ That day was very educational for the both of them. Dean knew more bee facts than torturing methods.

The more fun activities Cas liked to do was play board games with him and the other patients. His favorite being  _ Sorry _ . Dean sucked at it big time. For some reason he could never win and went as far as accusing Cas of cheating. The bastard looked smug and would deny it everytime.

“You just suck at it.” Cas giggled as he packed away the game neatly. He grabbed the game  _ Monopoly _ and placed it on the table.

“No, I don’t.” Dean pouted and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. He turned away from Cas and glared at the plain walls. In the corner of his eye he could see Cas standing up from his seat but Dean kept his eyes on the wall out of stubbornness. Cas turned his head and planted a kiss on his lips.

It  took a couple of seconds for Dean’s brain to register what was happening but the kiss was over and Cas returned to his seat. His face was burning up and he felt butterflies in his stomach, making him scoff. He kissed and slept with a lot of people. Kissing Cas wasn’t different except it was, and it felt...nice. Amazing actually. Unexpected but amazing.

Dean hid his smile behind the fake dollar bills and had a dazed look on his face throughout the day.

Game nights got even better after that. Dean was a very competitive player and beat Cas in a lot of the games but when they played  _ Sorry  _ he was more excited about losing. Only because it earned him a kiss afterwards, but sometimes Cas did get cocky about beating the demon at something. He always had that exciting smile on his face whenever he won, but whenever he played with the violent patients they would get angry. Dean had to hold them off before they could touch Cas. The angel was frightened after that and wouldn’t come out to play for a few days.

Then there were the panic attacks. When the panic attacks got really bad Dean would transfer some of the memories to give Cas a break from his nightmares. It always worked but Dean became vigilant the more he carried the memories.

Even Cas started to notice and had that worried frown on his face, oblivious to what Dean was doing and how he was helping him. “You look frightened. Why?” He asked one day as he stroked a hand down Dean’s cheek.

Dean tugged on the collar of the uniform he had to wear and huffed. He felt very uncomfortable in them. He wished he could wear his flannel and jeans to work but that would raise a lot of questions and complaints he didn’t want. “I just got this feeling in my gut. Something bad is going to happen.” He huffed and shook his head.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Cas asked and laid his head on Dean’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, but whatever happens don’t worry about it because I’ll be here with you.” Dean smiled. It’s been  _ weeks  _ and the brothers haven’t came to visit Cas. Not even a phone call from Dean. As the days passed by without a word he was losing a lot of respect for them. So much for not leaving family behind. Cas didn’t deserve that. Especially with the state he’s in.

“Thank you, Dean, but…” Cas trailed off and frowned. “I don’t want you risking my life for me.”

“It’s hardly a risk.” Dean snorted. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. You just stay behind me and watch the bees. I know how you feel about fighting, and I respect your decision. I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it now.”

“I appreciate your support but Meg and Adam…”

“Forget them.” Dean cut him off before he could explain further. “They haven’t called once to check up on you.” He sighed. “You shouldn’t give your life to them. You have so much potential. All they’re going to do is use you as a weapon and make you fight again.”

Cas stayed silent to take in the information before speaking. “I guess you are right. I do not want to fight anyone. I want to watch the bees, play board games with you, kiss you, and talk. That sounds like a peaceful life.”

“Yeah, it does.” Dean smiled. “Do you want to go play Sorry again? It’s been a while.”

“I would like that very much.” Cas lifted his head off Dean’s shoulder and stood up from the bed. He waited for Dean to unlock the door so they could go into the room filled with games. The place was deserted except for the old woman in the corner. She had her back towards them and was looking out the window so she wouldn’t disturb them while having their fun.

Dean grabbed the board game from the stack and placed it on the table that was next to a large window. Cas was looking out the window when he walked over. The sun shone on his smiling face and his hair looked lighter than usual. He looked young with no worries in the world. It was a beautiful sight to see. Dean sat down and set up the game as Cas spaced out.

 

\-     -     -     -    -

 

The gut feeling only grew as weeks turned into months. Dean tried his hardest to ignore it but he was feeling uneasy throughout the whole day. He even lost at Connect 4, and he was great at that game, but it was kinda worth it to see Cas cheer.

“I finally beat you at something else!” Cas clapped his hands and grinned.

“Damn. You did. Good job, Cas. It only took like 20 tries probably more.” Dean smirked.

Cas punched his shoulder lightly and pouted. “Meanie.” He cleaned up the table and organized the game for the next person who wanted to play. “What should we do next?” He asked.

“There isn’t much to do except play board games or go outside.” Dean shrugged.

“Then let’s go outside.” Cas stood up and grabbed Dean’s hand. He tugged on it and led him outside to the gloomy weather. They sat down on the beach near the fountain and watched the fish swim around in the water. “Do you think fish know they’re in water?” Cas asked.

Dean huffed out a laugh and shrugged. “I don’t know I’m not a fish expert.”

“Hm.” Cas thinned his lips together and followed the fish with his eyes.

“Don’t think too hard, sweetheart.” Dean smiled and reached into his pocket. “Guess what I got?” He pulled out the cup of puddling and handed it to Cas.

“Pudding!” Cas grinned and snatched the cup from Dean’s hands. He ripped it open and grabbed the spoon Dean was holding to him. “Thank you!” He scooped up some of the pudding and slipped it into his mouth with a hum. He laid his head on Dean’s shoulder and held out the spoon full of pudding to him.

“That pudding is for you.” Dean nudged him.

“But friends share so here.” Cas waved the spoon in front of Dean.

Dean chuckled and leaned forward to eat the pudding. The delicious taste flooded his senses and he closed his eyes as he swallowed the pudding. “I hadn’t have pudding in a while. That was good.” He moaned.

“I bet.” Cas giggled. “Why don’t you steal some for yourself?”

“Because seeing you smile about it is way better than the taste.” Dean ruffed Cas’ hair and chased after him when he ducked.

“You’re so nice. You also smell so nice.” Cas hummed and closed his eyes.

“Okay, sunshine. You look tired. Come on.” Dean pried the now empty cup from Cas’ hands and helped him stand. Cas swayed in his grasp and leaned heavily against him as they returned to his room.

Once Dean was able to get Cas on the bed the angel was out like a light. Dean covered him with the blankets and sat down on the edge of the bed to watch over him sleep.

 

\-     -     -     -     -

 

The sound of the alarms blaring throughout the hospital answered Dean’s worries. Someone was breaking  _ into  _ the mental institution. What kind of idiot does that? Idiots that want to kill someone. That someone being Dean or Cas.

When Dean heard the screams from outside the door he finally sensed what was inside; demons. Low class demons that Dean could defeat easily which brought him his answer. They were after Cas.

Dean grabbed Cas’ arm and yanked him behind him right when the door burst open and a group of demons flooded into the room. Dean’s eyes flickered black and he took out his blade. The first demon that came at them Dean slashed through. He was fighting his way through them with Cas gripping onto him for dear life. He was able to fight them off easily and the demons were dropping in large numbers. Dean was covered in blood by the time he got through the first door.

“We gotta get out here.” He said roughly and dragged Cas down the hallway. The angel was muttering something his breath so low that Dean could barely hear through the loud sirens and screams. There was blood stains and dead bodies all over the stairs where the demons went through.

The workers who were still alive ducked down and hid from Dean’s view. They hardly spoke a word when Dean and Cas made it through the front door. Dean looked around the outside of the building until he spotted his 67’ Chevy Impala. The two walked over to the vehicle and Dean opened the door for Cas.

“We gotta go before the demons catch up to us.” Dean looked up the building then back at Cas.

“Okay.” Cas nodded before going inside. Dean saw a glimpse of his hands shaking before he closed the door. He walked over to the other side of the car and slipped inside. He immediately started the car and sped through the streets. Cas gripping onto the seat cushions and panted heavily until they slowed down to the speed limit.

“Where are we going?” Cas asked after a while.

“Far away from here.” Dean stopped by a spotlight and leaned back against the seat of his impala. “It’s a dump.”

“But…”

“If you mention them I will kick you out of my car.” Dean threatened. Cas slammed his mouth shut and looked out the window. The light turned green and Dean pressed on the gas pedal.

“What are we going to do? What’s next?” Cas asked quietly.

“Go somewhere, anywhere. We can start a new life, and I can hook up some spells to hide us from every hunter and supernatural creature.” Dean glanced over at Cas then back at the road. “What do you think?”

Cas smiled down at his lap. “I like that idea very much.”

“That’s my boy.” Dean squeezed Cas’ shoulder and grinned. Cas melted under his touch and scooted closer to him. He leaned his head on Dean’s shoulder and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together.

Dean was okay with this. It wasn’t perfect since their species hated each other and the whole world is against them, but who cares? He sure as hell doesn’t, and judging by Cas’ peaceful look the angel didn’t either. They were going to start a new life together. They were going to be okay.


End file.
